Rally celebrates Egyptian leader's removal

By Tim Eberly

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The crowd was smaller, compared to Egyptian rallies in recent weeks, but the mood among those gathered at the intersection outside CNN's Atlanta headquarters was lighter, too.

On Saturday, feelings of happiness and relief pushed aside fear and frustration.

Organizers originally intended for the gathering to be another protest against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his long-entrenched government. Mubarak's decision on Friday to step down, however, turned the event into more of a party.

A sampling of some of the people who attended the rally:

Jim Skillman, 65, of Gwinnett County, said,  "We're so happy people have thrown [Mubarak] off. It's up to the people in Egypt how they want to run their country. We're all very optimistic. I can't predict the future, but so far so good." ... When asked why Skillman, who is not Egyptian, attended the rally, he said, "I like to see people fighting for freedom. I support that."

Hoda Kamal, 32, of Atlanta was born in Egypt and came to the gathering with her husband and two children. "Finally, we can celebrate," she said. "We were thinking that we were going to protest today. It's amazing that we're celebrating."

Naglaa Tawfik, 42, of Woodstock also was Egyptian born. "It's a dream come true," she said. "That's something we've all been dreaming about for, let's say, the last 20 years. He needed to go." When asked her reaction when she learned Friday that Mubarak had stepped down, she said, "I cried. I just felt the tears coming out. It was the happiest moment of my life."

Scott Emroe, 48, of Alpharetta has a wife, Doa, who is Egyptian. "We witnessed history -- pretty cool," he said. "Having a wife that's Egyptian, it's a great thing. She's been talking back and forth to [people] in Egypt every day -- 24-7."